# Bernadette Jiwa

> Bernadette Jiwa is an Irish-Australian author, brand strategist, and storytelling expert who has written 10 #1 Amazon bestselling business books - including Story Driven, Marketing: A Love Story, and Hunch - plus two novels published by Penguin Random House. A former business consultant who began blogging in her forties, she built one of Australia's most-read business blogs, created the Story Skills Workshop on Seth Godin's Akimbo platform, and has become one of the most cited voices on the power of narrative in business and human connection.

- **Role:** Author and Creator of The Story Skills Workshop at Akimbo
- **Organizations:** Akimbo Workshops (Seth Godin's platform), Story Republic, Perceptive Press, Penguin Random House
- **From:** Dublin, Ireland
- **Nationality:** Irish-Australian
- **Known for:** 10 #1 Amazon bestselling business books, Blog voted Best Australian Business Blog (2012, 2016), Named Top 100 Branding Experts to Follow on Twitter (2012)

## Career timeline

- **Early career** — Business strategist and brand consultant
- **~2010** — Launched The Story of Telling blog; began writing daily about marketing and storytelling
- **2012** — Published debut book Make Your Idea Matter; blog voted Best Australian Business Blog; named Top 100 Branding Experts to follow on Twitter
- **2013** — TEDxPerth talk 'The Secret to Spreading Ideas'; published The Fortune Cookie Principle
- **2014** — Published Difference and Marketing: A Love Story
- **2015** — Published Meaningful: The Story of Ideas That Fly
- **2016** — Blog topped Australia's best business blogs list
- **2017** — Published Hunch with Penguin Random House - first major traditional publisher deal
- **2018** — Published Story Driven; named Top Business Thinker by Smart Company Australia
- **2019** — Published The Right Story
- **2020** — Published What Great Storytellers Know and A Compass For The Heart; retired The Story of Telling blog after ~10 years; created The Story Skills Workshop for Seth Godin's Akimbo platform; founded Story Republic
- **2022** — Published debut novel The Making of Her (Penguin Random House); named New York Post Best Book of the Year
- **2024** — Published novella Happy As We Are
- **2025** — Published second novel Every Shade of Love; active on Substack with 'briefly.' newsletter

## Achievements

- 10 #1 Amazon bestselling business books
- Blog voted Best Australian Business Blog (2012, 2016)
- Named Top 100 Branding Experts to Follow on Twitter (2012)
- Named Top Business Thinker by Smart Company Australia (2018)
- The Making of Her named New York Post Best Book of the Year (2022)
- TEDxPerth speaker: 'The Secret to Spreading Ideas' (2013)
- Created The Story Skills Workshop for Seth Godin's Akimbo platform
- Seth Godin called What Great Storytellers Know 'the first book you should read when you're ready to share an idea with the world'
- Two novels published by Penguin Random House
- Founder of Story Republic community of practice

## Latest updates

- **2025-01** — Published second novel Every Shade of Love (Perceptive Press), set in Dublin, summer 1987, described as an unconventional Irish love story
- **2025-04** — Active on Substack 'briefly.' newsletter exploring extraordinary opportunity in the everyday - recent posts include 'The Power Of Regret', 'Reasons To Write', 'Listening To Rain'
- **2024-01** — Published novella Happy As We Are (Perceptive Press)
- **2022-08** — Debut novel The Making of Her published by Penguin Random House, named New York Post Best Book of the Year 2022

## Links

- Website: https://bernadettejiwa.com
- LinkedIn: https://au.linkedin.com/in/bernadette-jiwa-aa00b329
- Twitter/X: https://x.com/bernadettejiwa
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/bernadettejiwa/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/bernadettejiwa/

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Profile page: https://yespress.io/bernadette-jiwa
Published by YesPress — https://yespress.io
Last updated: 2026-04-26